WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
They targeted the homes of Hollywood stars, stealing roughly $3 million in cash and belongings from Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and many more between 2008 and 2009. But when teens and 20-somethings Rachel Lee, Nick Prugo, Alexis Neiers, Courtney Ames and Diana Tamayo were arrested, they became household names themselves.
THE AFTERMATH Dubbed the Bling Ring, they were the subjects of a book and two movies. It was attention not all of them wanted. Several retreated from the spotlight, while others served time — a “blessing in disguise,” according to Lee. “As a teen, I was chasing love in all the wrong places, and by the time I realized, it was too late and I was in prison,” she tells Us exclusively. “It made me realize you can only trust yourself.” Neiers (whose arrest was featured on her E! series Pretty Wild) also found a silver lining in the experience: sobriety. The mother of two is now a counselor at Alo Recovery Center in Malibu, and is committed to helping others overcome addiction. Their codefendents have moved on as well: “Nick is in a committed relationship,” one source tells Us. Says another, “Diana is a personal trainer and happily married.”
MOVING ON The former Bling Ring members have put the past behind them — and acknowledge their mistakes. “I was a drug addict who messed up her life,” Neiers tells Us, “and thankfully, decided to turn it all around.” If she could do it all over again, says Lee, “I would’ve made the right choices instead of the wrong ones. I would’ve changed a lot.”